Love Lessons: Bound Together
by clagjanet
Summary: A drabble of sorts, inspired by Shawn Mendes' "Strings" because it's not just Lee who sometimes needs to be reminded about how it all works.


Once again, spending two days in a car with my daughter's Ipod has led to a songfic. Thanks, Shawn Mendes. :-)

Set somewhere around "The Man Who Died Twice" when they're both a little addled about taking the next step.

* * *

"Don't let me forget I have to pick up Mother's drycleaning tomorrow."

Lee gave off a rumbling noise deep in his chest that might have been a laugh or might have been annoyance; Amanda couldn't tell and looked up at him questioningly.

"If I didn't know you're just talking out loud, I'd be concerned about your apparent memory loss," he teased.

"My memory loss?" Amanda was the one looking concerned now.

"In the few short hours we've been alone tonight, you've asked me to remind you about sending Joe the tax forms for the child support, Philip's permission slip for the museum trip, the notes Billy needs for his meeting at State Department, Jamie's dentist appointment and now your mother's drycleaning," he clarified.

"I have?"

"You have," Lee confirmed, eyes twinkling at her across the table.

"I'm sorry," Amanda started to apologize. "I just have a lot on my mind and I'm afraid I'll forget something if I don't keep reminding myself."

"I know and I don't know how you do it," he answered, picking up her hand to toy with her fingers. "Most of my old girlfriends only ever asked me to remember their favourite flowers or their cocktail order, never _anything_ as important as dentist appointments."

She smiled back at him, but with a slightly worry crease between her eyes. "I'm sorry," she said again. "Sometimes us regular people are a little dull. But I didn't realize I was dragging you into my mental lists so much. I'll try and stop."

Lee gave her fingers a squeeze. "Why?"

"Well, it must be annoying to finally be alone with your fiancée and all she talks about is her family that you've escaped from for the evening…"

"Amanda!" Lee started to laugh until he saw she was really distressed. "Sweetheart, why would you think that would annoy me? You've talked to me about your family constantly all these years and it's never bothered me."

"But it's like you said," she rushed to explain. "None of your old girlfriends bored you senseless with stuff like this. They were definitely no strings attached."

"None of my old girlfriends were people I wanted to spend the rest of my life with either," he pointed out.

Amanda nodded but Lee could tell from the way she was pushing the food around on her plate that she was still fretting. He stood up and disappeared into the kitchen. Amanda could hear him digging around in the drawers and then he reappeared, placing a ball of string and a notepad and pen beside her before pulling his chair around beside hers.

"Okay," he said, picking up the pen and starting to scribble. " That's all the things you have to do _tomorrow_ written down but for tonight…" He picked up the ball of string and carefully snapped off a short length then picked up her hand and carefully tied it around her finger.

"If you already wrote down everything I'm trying to remember, what the string for?" she asked. "To remind me to look at the list?"

"Nope," Lee leaned in dropped a light kiss on her lips. "That's to remind you that I love you and that I only ever want to tie the knot with you."

"Oh," Amanda smiled tremulously at him. " I love you too." She looked down at the bow he'd so carefully created and he could see the worried look reappearing on her face. "But you know, when you marry me, you don't just get me, you get all the stuff on that list…"

Lee sighed and picked up the string again. Amanda watched his long fingers quickly measured out and snapped a few pieces. He reached over and tied one, then a second, then a third and fourth around her wrist, before he turned her hand over and pressed his lips against the fluttering pulse point on the inside of her wrist. He looked up, his ever-expressive eyes meeting hers with a smile. "Daisies, freesia, white wine spritzers and coffee with one sugar. Dentists, ex-husbands, PTA bake sales… I know what I'm getting when I marry you, Amanda," he said, rubbing a fingertip across the circles of twine. "And I want the whole thing. All the lists, all the reminders, all the stuff regular people have."

"Really? All of it? You sure you won't feel tied down?"

"Not tied down, tied together. And yes, all of it, Amanda. I want all the strings attached."


End file.
